The present invention relates to a container for thread and wire. The thread or wire is wound into coils and accommodated in an annular chamber in the container with a free end of the thread or wire located outside the container, allowing the thread or wire to be easily pulled out for use without the need to open the container each time. The container could be opened to refill with new thread or wire and can therefore be repeatedly used.
To minimize the space needed for storing long thread or wire, it is a common practice to wind the thread or wire into coils and then store the same in a container, such as a poly bag. The poly bag has poor strength and does not provide a fix-shaped storing space and therefore fails to protect the coiled thread or wire stored therein. The coiled thread or wire tends to deform under pressure and causes difficulty in pulling it out for use.
To use the thread or wire stored in the poly bag, a user has to remove the whole coiled thread or wire from the bag to locate a free end of the thread or wire, and then carefully pull out a desired length of thread or wire and cut it. When the thread or wire is pulled too quickly, it is subject to a big force and tends to bend toward a center of the coils and become deformed. The deformed thread or wire produces an increased resistance to the pulling of the thread or wire and tends to become tangled that prevents the coiled thread or wire from being smoothly pulled out for use.
It is a primary object of the present invention to provide a container having sufficient strength and an annular chamber for storing a volume of coiled thread and wire, so that the coiled thread or wire in the container is always maintained in a round shape to be smoothly pulled out for use.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a container for thread and wire that allows a free end of the stored thread or wire to locate outside the container, so that the thread or wire could be easily pulled out for use at any time without the need of opening the container.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a container for thread and wire that could be refilled with new thread or wire and therefore be repeatedly used.
To achieve the above and other objects, the container for thread and wire of the present invention mainly includes a casing and a cover. The casing has a raised central cylinder, so that an annular chamber is defined in the container around the central cylinder. A volume of thread or wire pre-wound into coils is put in the annular chamber and protected against deformation. The raised central cylinder is provided at a top with a plurality of catches corresponding to a plurality of retaining holes provided on the cover. By aligning the catches with the retaining holes and turning the casing and the cover in two opposite directions, the cover are detachably closed onto the casing to enclose the thread or wire in the container. A clearance is left between an upper peripheral edge of the casing and a lower peripheral edge of the cover when the casing and the cover are closed to each other, allowing a free end of the thread or wire in the annular chamber to locate outside the container via the clearance and be easily accessed. To open the container, simply turn the cover in a reverse direction to conveniently disengage it from the casing. At this point, the container could be refilled with new thread or wire.